Carbon twistrons create power from movement

Researchers from Texas and South Korea have unearthed a new and inexpensive method of powering wearable sensors with lightweight carbon nanotubes that generate electricity when stretched.

These carbon yarns, called “twistrons,” can produce enough energy to power an LED, and when bundled together, they can yield 250 watts per kilogram, which is higher than any other harvester with comparable stretching rates, notes Engadget.

The only ways we have been harvesting mechanical energy so far are hydropower and wind, but the new technique lets us utilize mechanical energy for a wider variety of uses, writes Popular Science.